Sharing NADA is our legacy and responsibility.

Looking back over 2019 we want to thank all of our members who work so hard bring the NADA protocol, with beads & seeds as well as needles, to so many more people this year. Thanks to Michael Smith’s leadership and perseverance, and the incredible staff and volunteers of Lincoln Recovery Center, the NADA protocol became a worldwide phenomenon. Listen to a beautiful interview with Nancy Smalls, founder of Lincoln’s Maternal Substance Abuse Services Program, from our last Membership Café of 2019.

Lincoln’s collective wisdom and generosity of sharing NADA can be tapped into at any time through Michael Smith’s writing and words – we have been publishing these in every issue of Guidepoints and many more of his words, spoken and written, can be accessed through our public resource section.

2019 was expansive year for increasing access to the NADA protocol.

Some highlights include:

  • Two new ADS states – West Virginia and Maine
  • Expansion of laws in two existing ADS states – Colorado and Michigan
  • Dissolution of ADS regulations in Vermont – NADA is open to all
  • Development of two state-based advocacy workgroups – Arizona and Florida
  • New membership services – monthly Membership Café and Fall book club
  • Inaugural NADA Giving Day – most successful online fundraiser for NADA to date which included a first-ever matching donation
  • Presence at the American Public Health Association meeting – largest event where NADA had a booth
  • Presence at two large-scale recovery events in New Hampshire
  • 150 people and 45 speakers at our National Conference in Austin, TX
  • More and more NADA trainings, new NADA trainers

Looking forward into 2020 & beyond.

Registration for 2020 regional meetings opens February 1st

We are entering a year of regional meetings – April 18 in Phoenix, June 13 in Detroit, and September 11 in Ottawa. We hope to see you at one or all of them – these gatherings are gems of opportunity for NADA members and practitioners to meet each other and help build a greater sense of connection on a local level and get ideas on new programs and communities where the NADA protocol can be introduced. Read more about previous regional meetings. Registration for the upcoming meetings will open on February 1, 2020.

June 2021 National Conference hosted by Bowie University

Over the course of this year we will begin to grow the momentum for our June 2021 national conference, to be hosted by Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. We hope that being on a university campus will create greater access for more to attend – staying in the dorms will be more affordable than a hotel, and Bowie can easily be accessed by either the Washington D.C. or Baltimore airports.

2020 NADA International Meeting in London

Consider branching out and connecting with the international NADA family by attending the upcoming NADA international meeting, being held in London on October 10, 2020. As we get more info about that, we’ll share it with you.

Get involved! We want to hear from you about new ideas.

Membership Services Survey

As we enter into 2020, we have lots of ideas for new membership services. We want to hear from you and what your suggestions, priorities and requests are – keep an eye out for a membership survey later this month to gather your feedback and help inform our programming decisions.

First-Ever Membership Drive

We’re also in the beginnings of planning our first ever Membership Drive. This will be an opportunity to raise up the work, your work, in spreading the word about the NADA protocol and making it more accessible to all. It is also an opportunity to invite past members to reconnect and new people to join our growing community.

Want to have a bigger influence in the NADA community?

Nominate yourself or another NADA member to serve as the Member Representative

If you would like even more say in what NADA is up to regarding its member services, you can nominate yourself or another NADA member to serve as the Member Representative to the NADA board, a new board of directors position that will have its first election in conjunction with the Detroit regional meeting on June 13, 2020. More information on the nomination process will be shared in March.

Thank you for bringing NADA into your community.

Whether that is your workplace, your family & friends or your school. NADA belongs everywhere where people gather to seek solace, friendship and community. It is our privilege to continue to serve you.